24 Sep 2015

The Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Kenneth Mathambo has commended the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVAF) for outstanding service delivery. Addressing employees during a familiarisation tour of the fund’s headquarters recently, Mr Mathambo lauded the innovative initiatives that the MVAF has put in place to reduce road accidents. 

He said statistics show that although there has been a reduction in road accidents in the past five years, incidents of death increased. 

He observed that 411 deaths were reported in 2013 compared to 404 in 2012. He noted that 337 deaths were recorded in 2014. 

“I am keen to understand why there was an increase in the number of deaths in 2013 while your organisation has put considerable measures in place to prevent such incidents,” he said. 

The minister noted that  his duties include raising awareness about concerns raised by cabinet in the 10 points agenda based on public concerns regarding poor service standards in the public service. He said government officers, parastatals and the private sector have to offer the public good customer service. 

For his part, the chief executive officer of MVAF, Mr Cross Kgosidiile said the fund provides compensation in the form of benefits defined in the act, and third party insurance to drivers and owners of motor vehicles. 

He said it also promotes road safety and accident prevention. 

He also updated the minister on their projects such as the case management system which assists the fund in handling claimants’ clinical data. He also cited the server replacement, which is meant to mitigate the risk of aging IT infrastructure and ensure that the fund’s information systems were stable. 

Another development that he mentioned was the development of the Francistown regional office and the fund’s corporate social investment.  

“We are involved in the adopt-a-school initiative. We have identified beneficiaries.  

We also take advantage through such forums to spread road safety messages. We are in full support of the Presidential Housing Appeal. MVA staff hope to complete two houses at Sedilatholo,” he said. Mr Kgosidiile also cited a decreased revenue base as one of their challenges. 

He attributed the reduction to the lowering of the fuel levy, the high rate of road accidents, limited medical and rehabilitative facilities and expertise, high medical and rehabilitation costs and inflation as well as legislative constraints. Ends